Visible Veins During Pregnancy

Does your body suddenly look like a county road map? It's just your baby's nutritional network at work. Find out more about those visible veins, including when they'll go away.

Though not as noticeable as varicose veins during pregnancy, early on in your first trimester, by about week 10, you might suddenly spot major veins crisscrossing their way all over your body, especially in your abdomen and breasts. As your pregnancy progresses, you may even start to see them in your hands and feet. These newly visible blood vessels will be more pronounced if you're fair-skinned, but even those with darker skin will likely notice a few.

What causes visible veins during pregnancy?

What you're seeing is a vital part of your growing baby's support system — the network of veins that are carrying your increasing blood supply and nutrients to your fetus. That's because your blood volume is up significantly during pregnancy, and your veins are keeping up with the flow.

What you need to know about visible veins during pregnancy

Fortunately, this big blue superhighway isn't there to stay — you'll be wearing it only until after delivery. In the meantime, think of it as the blueprint of your baby's prenatal well-being.

What can you do about visible veins during pregnancy?

Sit tight. Nothing you can do — or would want to do — to stop that vein network's work. These veins will go back to normal after you give birth. If you're breastfeeding, only the veins on your breasts will remain noticeable, but when you start weaning your baby, even that road map will be gone for good (or until your next pregnancy).

From the What to Expect editorial team and Heidi Murkoff, author of What to Expect When You're Expecting. Health information on this site is based on peer-reviewed medical journals and highly respected health organizations and institutions including ACOG (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists), CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics), as well as the What to Expect books by Heidi Murkoff.

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What to Expect When You're Expecting, 5th edition, Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel.